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DAVID MCKEOWN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER A private room in the emergency department at Geisinger St. Luke’s Hospital in Orwigsburg on the first day the hospital opened Nov. 20, 2019. St. Luke’s University Health Network said it has plans in place to accommodate patients during the coronavirus pandemic if the need arises.

Schuylkill County’s four hospitals believe they have plans to make sure sufficient beds are available to accommodate people suffering from COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.

“As part of our normal planning, we are looking at how we can surge, or increase, our bed capacity locally,”said William Reppy, president of Lehigh Valley Hospital-Schuylkill, which includes two facilities in Pottsville.

Between those two in the city, Lehigh Valley Hospital-E. Norwegian Street and Lehigh Valley Hospital-S. Jackson Street, there are 186 beds, Reppy said Thursday, including 10 in the intensive care unit.

St. Luke’s University Health Network, which includes Geisinger St. Luke’s in Orwigsburg and St. Luke’s Hospital-Miners Campus in Coaldale, also has significant capacity, according to Samuel Kennedy, corporate communications director.

Geisinger St. Luke’s has 40 beds, including 10 in the intensive care unit, Kennedy said Thursday. St. Luke’s-Miners has 49 beds, including six in the intensive care unit, he said.

Reppy also said Lehigh Valley is constantly planning to meet any need caused by the virus.

“When it comes to capacity, regardless of what is available on a daily basis, we are monitoring the outbreak, constantly getting updates and doing our best to make sure we have what’s necessary to care for those who need our help,” he said.

From its initial appearance in Wuhan, China, the coronavirus has spread around the world.

The state Department of Health said Friday that there are 8,420 cases of the illness and 102 deaths in Pennsylvania. Of those, 63 cases, and zero deaths, are in Schuylkill County.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that there are 239,279 cases and 5,443 deaths from the virus in the United States.

Reppy said his hospitals, which are part of the Lehigh Valley Health Network, are in a good position to deal with the pandemic.

“LVH-Schuylkill currently is able to meet the demands of those we serve,” he said. “We have a plan in conjunction with our health network going forward should we need additional space or staffing. This is among the benefits of being part of a larger organization, for challenging times like these.”

Kennedy also said the hospitals in Coaldale and Orwigsburg benefit from being part of a network.

“St. Luke’s University Health Network is managing the network’s preparation and response to COVID-10 through its incident command center in Bethlehem. (The center) is organized according to the structure and principles established by (the) Federal Emergency Management Agency,” he said.

Kennedy said there have been no transfers of people to the Coaldale or Orwigsburg hospitals from Berks, Lehigh or Luzerne counties, where there are far more COVID-19 cases than in Schuylkill.

There are no shortages of any personal protective equipment in Coaldale or Orwigsburg, Kennedy said.

“Geisinger St. Luke’s is monitoring the use of (personal protective equipment) and will ensure ... we have an adequate supply to keep our caregivers safe,” he said. “As we began to prepare for COVID-19 in our community, we put new processes and protocols in place to assure we have enough supplies.”

Contact the writer: pbortner@republicanherald.com; 570-789-9221

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